St. Tammany Parish says it has told Helis Oil & Gas to stop work on an exploratory well for a proposed fracking project near Mandeville.

St. Tammany Parish says it has told Helis Oil & Gas to stop work on an exploratory well for a proposed fracking project near Mandeville.

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Updated: 5:40 PM CDT Jul 20, 2015

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WEBVTT ADRIANNA: HEATH ALLEN TELLS US,NOT EVERYONE SEES THE RULING THESAME WAY.HEATH: ACTION HOT AND HEAVY FROMBATON ROUGE BACK TO ST. TAMMANYPARISH.ST. TAMMANY MOVING TO STOPOPERATIONS OF THE PROPOSEDKILLING SITE -- DRILLING SITEISSUING THIS STATEMENT.PURSUANT TO JUDGE WILLIAMMORVANT'S ORDER TODAY IN THE19TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT INBATON ROUGE, ST. TAMMMANY PARISHHAS ISSUED A CEASE AND DESIST ATTHE DRILLING SITE OFF HIGHWAY434, BECAUSE THE ACTIVITIESBEING CONDUCTED ON THE PROPERTYARE NOT CONSISTENT WITH THEPARISH'S ZONING DESIGNATION FORTHAT SITE AND THE SUBSEQUENTPARISH ORDINANCES.A CODE ENFORCEMENT CASE WASOPENED TODAY AND A CEASE ANDDESIST PLACARD WAS POSTED AT THESITE TODAY."CONCERNED CITIZENS OF ST.TAMMANY JOINED THE PARISH IN THECOURT BATTLE.RICK FRANZO:THE JUDGE WAS CRYSTAL CLEAR,MATED THAT THE SUSPENSE STAYS INPLACE AND TO HALT ALL ACTION ONTHE PROPERTY.OF THAT PROPOSED DRILL SITE.HEATH: CERTAINLY THAT IS NOT THEWAY HELIS OIL AND GAS SEES THEROLE.FOLLOWING THE RULING, HELISISSUED THIS STATEMENT.TODAY'S COURT RULING WAS PURELYPROCEDURAL, IN EFFECT, SIMPLYALLOWING THE PARISH TO SPENDMORE TAX DOLLARS TO OPPOSEDEVELOPING LOUISIANA'S ENERGYRESOURCES.ASSERTIONS THAT THIS PROJECT HASBEEN HALTED OR SLOWED IN ANY WAYARE A COMPLETE FABRICATION ANDDISTORTION OF THE FACTS.WORK CONTINUES AS BEFORE.WHETHER WORK WILL CONTINUEFOLLOWING THE CEASE AND DESISTFROM ST. TAMMANY REMAINSUNCERTAIN.CONCERNED CITIZENS OF ST.TAMMANY SAY WORK SHOULD STOP.IN EFFECT NOW, THEY NEED TOSTOP ANYTHING THEY DO, UNTIL ITGETS HEARD IN THE HIGHER COURTS.HEATH: RIGHT NOW AT THE HELISSITE OFF HIGHWAY 434, NO ACTUALDRILLING HAS BEGUN.PREP WORK HAS BEEN ONGOING.IN THE WEEK OF THISCEASE-AND-DESIST, THE BALL IS

Helis told to stop work on well for fracking project

St. Tammany Parish says it has told Helis Oil & Gas to stop work on an exploratory well for a proposed fracking project near Mandeville.